Schools

Watertown High School Earns National Recognition for STEM Education

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The sign for the temporary Watertown High School at PFC Ricard Moxley Field. (Courtesy by City of Watertown)

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Public Schools:

Watertown High School has been named a Distinguished School by Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national nonprofit organization aimed at educating and preparing students for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers. The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their STEM programs. To be eligible for the designation, WHS had to meet multiple criteria in the 2023-24 school year such as number of PLTW courses available to students, percent of students enrolled in PLTW, and percent of students taking more than one PLTW course. “We are thrilled to receive this recognition from PLTW,” said Laura Alderson, Career and Technical Education Coordinator for Watertown Public Schools. “WHS has been partnering with PLTW since 2015 for our Pre-Engineering program.

Business

Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast to Focus on the Region’s Economy

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The following announcement was provided by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

The Charles River Regional Chamber’s May 14th annual Spring Business Breakfast, presented by Eastern Bank, will focus on the current challenges facing the region’s economy and what the Healey-Driscoll administration is doing to support economic growth. The program will feature comments from Ashley Stolba, interim Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development, making her first public comments to any chamber or business organization since Healey appointed her to the position in April. Also speaking will be the state’s former Secretary of Economic Development, Yvonne Hao, who will also be making her first public comments to a business group since she stepped down after two years in the role to focus on family issues. The May 14 program begins with a data-driven presentation by Dr. Mary Burke, a principal economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, offering critical insight into how employment growth in Massachusetts has stalled, the effects of uncertain federal policies, and several downside risks that could have an outsized impact on our state. The Charles River Regional Chamber’s “Spring Business Breakfast: 2025 Economic Outlook,” presented by Eastern Bank, is happening Wednesday, May 14, at the Needham Sheraton Hotel.

Obituaries

OBIT: Maria Ann Littleton, 100, Active in the Community, Loved to Travel

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Maria Ann Littleton

Maria Ann Littleton, 100 years old, of Belmont and Watertown, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family. Born in Watertown to Italian Immigrants, Carmela and Pasquale DiGiacomo, she was the oldest of six children. 

Maria lived a full and vibrant life. She loved her active roles in the community with the Belmont Street Baptist Church, the League of Women Voters, the Belmont Women’s Club, the Belmont Library, and volunteer work at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Town Polls. Maria enjoyed attending cultural events and musical programs. She loved to travel, especially to Italy to visit family. Maria loved driving her Alfa Romeo back and forth to Key West and was a club member.

Letters

LETTER: Demolition Delay Ordinance Needs Revising

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Dear Editor,

I write to express my dismay at some of the testimony at last night’s Committee on Economic Development and Planning. Council President Sideris was correct to bring this to the committee.  This ordinance needs extensive re-writing to remove substantial subjectivity and clarify scope. 

Councilor Piccirilli and Councilor Feltner constantly referred to the fuzziness of the ordinance.  Councilor Piccirilli also pointed out that this board may not have appropriate authority to make such impositions. This observation plus everything from the definition of which type of delay to what is considered historically significant and worthy of preservation points to a poorly crafted ordinance. 

Matt Walter from the Historic Preservation Commission disclosed that there is disagreement within the commission regarding the 50 year look back. I live in a house that was finished in Summer 1977 and there is nothing worth preserving for posterity — erected during the Summer of Sam?? It is so subjective. A 100 years look back, beyond the average human lifespan, seems more reasonable. As the City Manager said, he is no fan of the model ordinance which recommends this 50 year look back. Per the model, a neighborhood of similarly designed/built houses is seen as characteristically unique.

Around Town

Watertown Group Will Hear from Student Advocating for Nuclear Disarmament

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The following announcement was provided by Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment:

Please join us on Saturday, May 17 to hear Maria Udalova from Students for Nuclear Disarmament speak about why she is passionate about nuclear disarmament, why young people understand the necessity for disarmament, and how they take action to achieve a world without nuclear weapons. 

The program will take place at 3:00 PM in the Lower Meeting Hall at the Church of the Good Shepherd at 9 Russell Ave., Watertown. Ms. Udalova is a senior at Brookline High School and leads her school’s Students for Nuclear Disarmament (SND) Chapter. She is also a member of the SND. 

Locally, Ms. Udalova has organized student lobbying efforts at the State House on climate and disarmament legislation, led educational initiatives on nuclear disarmament, and spearheaded disarmament policy efforts in Brookline. She has spoken to students and civil society groups, emphasizing the critical role of student engagement in nuclear disarmament. Students for Nuclear Disarmament is a national, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to raising awareness among Gen-Z about the threat that nuclear weapons pose to humanity.  We unite young people to urge the U.S. government to pursue common-sense nuclear weapons policy. You can learn more at students4disarmament.org. The program on May 17 is sponsored by the Peace and Common Security of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice, and the Environment. The Working Group has collected 450 signatures to put a back from the Brink (https://preventnuclearwar.org/) nuclear disarmament resolution in front of the City Council via a Citizen Petition which will be submitted to the City Clerk at sometime this summer. If passed by the City Council, Watertown would join 21 Massachusetts cities and towns who have passed similar resolutions. The working group has developed education resources, organized a number of public programs on the existential threat of nuclear weapons and the need for nuclear disarmament, and taped a program on WCATV titled “Ending Nuclear Weapons” focused on the contradictions of nuclear deterrence.

Around Town

Celebration of Watertown Cultural District to be Hosted by Watertown Business Coalition

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Watertown recently received approval for a Cultural District in Watertown Square. The public is invited to a celebration of the new cultural district on May 21. See more information provided by the Watertown Business Coalition. In celebration of Watertown’s recent Cultural District designation there will be an after-hours event on Wednesday, May 21, at Bar ‘Cino, 47 Main St. in Watertown.

Around Town

Marshall Home Fund Hosting 20th Anniversary Celebration & Grant Award Ceremony

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Marshall Home Fund will celebrate 20 years and award grants at a ceremony on May 15. See more information in the MHF announcement. This special occasion will bring together past and present Board members, grant awardees, and community stakeholders who have played a vital role in advancing the Fund’s mission: to support programs that enhance the health, safety, independence, and quality of life for Watertown residents aged 55 and older. Thursday, May 15th, 2025, 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church St, Watertown, MA 02472

For more information email us at: admin@marshallhomefund.org

We thank the Watertown Savings Bank for it’s support of this event.

Around Town

Watertown’s First Eco Fest to be Held May 10 at the Commander’s Mansion

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The City of Watertown will be hosting the first Eco Fest on Saturday. See more information in the City’s announcement below. Come to Eco Fest on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from11am-2pm at the Commander’s Mansion, 44 Talcott Ave, to learn more about how you can reduce your energy use and support clean energy by talking to vendors and sitting in on our speaker sessions! For a complete list of vendors and activities, visit watertownecofest.com

Resilient Watertown Eco Fest Will Have Info on Making Life Greener, Fun for the Whole Family